Chapter 99 - The Temptation of Immortality

"Found it!" Just as Josh was thinking about how to handle Bucky, Ophelia on the other side had made a discovery and came over holding a stack of documents.

"Tell me," Josh said.

"This research institute is a secret facility directly under Johann Schmidt, governed by his confidant Major General Werner Reinhardt. I know him—he's a cruel executioner. And the object of their research is something called 'The Prophet.' Here it is!" Ophelia handed a photo to Josh.

Josh took the photo and looked at it. It showed a polygonal prism-like object, seemingly metallic in texture. Since it was a black-and-white photo, he couldn't tell for sure. But why did this thing look so familiar?

And Reinhardt? Josh remembered—that was the name Daniel Whitehall used before he regained his youth and became a Hydra bigwig.

Daniel Whitehall, the frozen Asian woman, the metal prism.

That's it! This "Prophet" is actually the Obelisk, which contains Terrigen Crystals that awaken Inhuman powers.

Which meant this frozen woman might be Quake's mother... What was her name again?

"This object was discovered by Reinhardt years ago in Portugal. After realizing its magical properties, he traced it back to a village in Xia Country, where he found the laborers who had excavated it. To maintain secrecy, he captured the entire village and used them as test subjects. All of them eventually turned to ash after contact with the 'Prophet' during the research—except this woman. She survived contact and even caused the 'Prophet' to emit a brilliant light. But up until now, they still haven't uncovered the secrets of either her or the 'Prophet,'" Ophelia continued to explain to Josh. "Oh, and this woman's name is... Jia Yin?"

So it really was that object. All the data matched Josh's memory of the Obelisk perfectly.

As for Jia Yin? It was probably Jiaying.

"Do you know where Reinhardt is now? And where the 'Prophet' was taken?" Josh asked.

"Unfortunately, before Operation Return to Eagle's Nest began, the 'Prophet' was transferred to another research base. Jia Yin was also scheduled to be moved, but they never got around to it. After the operation began, Reinhardt and that base were taken over by a rebel unit. When the Allies reached Vienna, he and other war criminals were handed over to the Allies, and the research base was also taken over by them," said Ophelia. 

"So unless something unexpected happened, the 'Prophet' should now be in Allied hands. And from the current situation, it seems Reinhardt never revealed the existence of this facility."

Josh raised his brows. So the Obelisk was already in Allied hands? He just didn't know if the Strategic Scientific Reserve had taken possession of it. If not, he might still have a chance to get it. If so, there was nothing he could do.

"What about Bucky Barnes? Does the log have any information about why he's here?" Josh asked, pointing at Bucky's cryo chamber.

"The records say his name is James Barnes, a member of the Howling Commandos. During a previous mission to raid a base over a hundred kilometers away in the Alps, he was knocked off a cliff by Schmidt. Afterwards, Reinhardt's search team found him and temporarily placed him here. According to the documents, he was a designated test subject for Dr. Arnim Zola. But before they could transfer him, Zola was captured by the Howling Commandos. And then the war ended," Ophelia recited, aware that Josh knew Captain America, and thus wasn't surprised when he called Bucky by name.

"So that means, aside from Reinhardt and Zola, there shouldn't be anyone else who knows the true purpose of this facility?" Josh asked.

"In theory, yes. But we can't rule out special cases," Ophelia shrugged, not wanting to make an absolute statement.

"I see. Then, if I gave you a mission to contact—or try to contact—Reinhardt or Zola, could you do it?" Josh looked at her and asked.

"I can only say I'll try. People from the Strategic Scientific Reserve are quite hard to deal with," Ophelia frowned and replied cautiously.

"You can try, but only if your own safety and secrecy can be guaranteed," Josh nodded, knowing this task would be difficult and didn't push further.

"Alright, I'll do my best. And if I do get in contact with them?" Ophelia asked. "Do you want them to work for you?"

"Only Zola. As for Reinhardt—I don't want to hear that he ever walked out of Allied prison alive," Josh replied.

There was no doubt Arnim Zola was a brilliant scientist.

For example, his development and research into the Tesseract's energy were in some ways on par with the Stark father-son duo.

It was just that the environment and era he was in severely limited his potential.

If Josh could get him to work for him, it would clearly be a great benefit. After all, he couldn't rely on Yuri for everything.

Especially when it came to things like the Infinity Stones—if Josh ever got his hands on one, he certainly wouldn't want to trade it away.

But it had to be studied and utilized somehow—he couldn't just leave it lying around as decoration.

And Zola, who had studied the Space Stone in depth, was clearly the best candidate to fill that gap.

As for Reinhardt…what would be the point of keeping him alive?

Killing him would be a form of justice for the villagers he slaughtered.

"Understood!" Although she didn't understand why Josh wanted Reinhardt dead, Ophelia knew her job was to follow orders.

"Alright, that's it for now. Later, check with the military for any news about Bucky. If it matches the records, then transfer and thaw him. Send him back to the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and say we found him during a hunt in the Alps. That can be your way in to make contact with them," Josh said. "As for this woman…get her out! I'm taking her with me!"

Josh looked at the frozen Jiaying and, after a brief hesitation, made his decision.

The experimental logs showed that Jiaying had already come into contact with the Obelisk, which meant her Inhuman gene had already been activated—saving Josh a lot of trouble.

Immortality!

How many people in this world could resist such a temptation?

Even though Josh's dimension trading device had limitless potential... limitless potential also meant uncertainty.

But Jiaying's immortality was tangible and real—something that could be seen and touched.

Of course, Josh wouldn't use the same crude and brutal methods as Reinhardt to extract her power. A bit of blood and some genetic research would likely be enough—why drain the lake just to catch a few fish?

Besides, Reinhardt was already on the brink of death back then, with no time for long-term studies, so he had to take what he could in one go.

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